Apple has raised the prices of its iPhone 16, 17, 17e, and Air, quietly making the changes to coincide with its announcement of the new iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, and foldable Duo. Some of them are now even more expensive than they were at launch.
Historically, the release of a new iPhone has been accompanied by a price cut on older models, making the devices more attractive to savvy shoppers. Unfortunately, it seems as though their patience has instead been punished this year, with multiple past iPhones getting a $100 bump in price instead.
The iPhone 16 had been available for $699 before Apple’s event on Wednesday, having received a $100 price cut when the iPhone 17 was released last year. That reduction has now been reversed, putting the iPhone 16 back up to $799 — the same price it was when it launched two years ago in 2024. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17, 17e, and Air are now more expensive than they were at launch. The budget iPhone 17e was originally available for $599 when it was announced in March this year, but will now set you back $699. Apple’s iPhone 17 launched at $799 last September, but its price has now been increased to $899. Finally, the iPhone Air launched at $999 alongside the iPhone 17, but will now cost buyers $1,099.
Apple Malaysia
Apple has quietly raised the prices of several existing iPhone models in Malaysia following the launch of the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo. The price revision affects the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e, with most variants now costing RM300 more than before. However, the biggest increase is for the iPhone Air 1TB option, which now costs RM8,299. That’s RM1,300 more than its original launch price of RM6,999.
Tim Cook
Tim Cook previously warned about rising memory costs. The latest iPhone price revisions come several months after Apple CEO Tim Cook warned that rising memory and storage costs could eventually put pressure on product pricing. Back in June, The Wall Street Journal reported that the sharp increase in memory prices, driven partly by data centers and artificial intelligence, made price increases “unavoidable.”
Earlier this year, many Apple products (but not iPhones, AirPods or Watches) were hit with a huge set of price hikes. And then, more recently, Apple unveiled its new Mac mini range, which also comes at a 50% higher starting price than just five months before. This left many people fearing the worst about the prices of the new stuff coming at Apple’s September 2026 event. But as new products were announced that were the same price, or actually better value, than their predecessors, it felt like dodging RAM-ageddon bullets. Even though the iPhone 18 Pro price rose, it initially felt reasonable. Then, Apple quietly increased the prices of all its older phones following the event.
iPhone Duo
At its Surprise and Shine
annual hardware event, Apple took the wraps off its first-ever foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, as well as the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. This year, Apple is raising the price of its Pro and Pro Max iPhones by $100, meaning the new starting prices for both are $1,199 and $1,299, respectively. That’s the way things are trending pretty much everywhere across consumer tech, phones, and beyond. Meanwhile, the older iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max didn’t get a price hike — they got discontinued instead.
Apple has also revised the prices of the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e in India, making both models considerably more expensive across their storage options. The steepest hike applies to the 512GB iPhone 17, which now costs Rs 22,000 more than before. The 256GB model, which previously cost Rs 82,900, is now listed at Rs 99,900, an increase of Rs 17,000. The jump is even bigger for the 512GB version, which has moved from Rs 1,02,900 to Rs 1,24,900. Apple’s more affordable iPhone 17e has become considerably pricier as well, with its 256GB variant now costing Rs 79,900, up from Rs 64,900.
